NieR: Automatasurpassed seven million sold units, Square Enix announced earlier this week. This development further extends the game’s lead as the best-selling title in both theNieRand overarchingDrakengardseries. Its latest commercial milestone is largely attributed to the recent release ofaNieR: Automataport for the Nintendo Switch.
NieR: Automatadebuted on PC and PS4 in 2017 before making its way to the Xbox One a year later. Similar to the originalNieR, the sequel received mixed reviews but didn’t take long to achieve cult status due to its distinctive storytelling that experimented with the boundaries of its media format by leveraging multiple playthroughs to construct a unique interactive narrative. The Switch port of the game—titledNieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition—released in early October to critical acclaim and fan adoration.
RELATED:Nier Developers Issue Bizarre Statement to Fans After End of Yorha Switch Port Launch
While Square Enix hasn’t provided a breakdown of the game’s sales by platform,NieR: Automata’s fourth-anniversary sales milestonesuggests that its Switch port is either close to surpassing a million purchases or has already done so. As part of the same announcement, the Japanese publisher revealed that its remaster of the originalNieR—NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139—hit 1.5 million in sales this month. That version of the game released in the spring of 2021, 11 years following the original’s debut. Furthermore, this newly confirmed milestone means that all versions of the firstNieRgame have now definitively hit two million in combined sales.
Though the series on the whole is now close to hitting ten million in lifetime sales, this newly renewed public interest in the franchise is still far from guaranteed to lead to a fourthNieRgame. Late last year, the series creatorYoko Taro saidNieRis officially “finished"since he doesn’t expect to be given funding for another game. A few months beforehand, Taro—who directed both theDrakengardtrilogy and all of itsNieRspinoffs—labeledNieR: Automata’s success as a “fluke,” stating that he never expected any of his games to find a large audience due to their niche appeal.
Despite the occasional rumor thatDrakengard 4might be in development, Taro’s skepticism about the series' overall global appeal makes it unlikely that today’s Square Enix will greenlight another game, especially as the company’s growing ambitions keep pushing the threshold for what its management deems a commercial success. That said, the newly released Switch port ofNieR: Automataand last year’sNieR Reincarnationmobile spin-off are both strong indications that the Japanese gaming giant is still testing the waters regarding the viability of a fourthNieRgame.
NieR: Automatais available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
